EP0698859B1 - Method for manufacturing chip cards and card obtained thereby - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a manufacturing process a smart card and a card thus obtained.

The method which has so far been the most applied consists in preparing a plastic card body and supplemented by an electronic module fixed in a cavity of the card body, and printing on at least one of the main faces.
This printing depends on the material of the card body and is normally carried out by the offset printing technique which even in large series of printing is expensive.

In addition, we know that some offset printing varnishes applied to plastic card bodies cause health and environmental problems and pollution dissolving components. In addition the technique offset printing requires snapshots to perform printing in large series and for that does not justify the costs of small print runs.

According to another technique for manufacturing smart cards described in French patent application No. 93/02059 (FR-A-2,702,067) filed in favor of the applicant on February 23, 1993, a manufacturing process has been proposed in which a film provided a pre-printed graphic is put inside a mold.
Then we inject a transparent thermo-plastic which molds the card body by almost attaching to the graphics. The electronic module could be placed directly in the mold or could be fixed after the card body had left the mold.

But so far smart cards manufactured according to this second technique appears only very rarely on the market.

Still other techniques are described in documents EP - A2 -0 431 493 and FR - A1 - 2 541 978. These documents relate respectively to a method of manufacture of an integrated circuit card as well as a apparatus for such manufacturing and a method custom card printing using reprographic or laser printing techniques.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a smart card manufacturing process used to make such cheaper cards even in small ones series and which avoids the problems of pollution caused by the chemical components of printing varnishes. The invention also relates to a smart card.

(a) une face d'un papier est couverte d'une couche auto-adhésive résistant aux températures élevées, ladite couche auto-adhésive étant protégée par une feuille de protection ;

(b) on introduit le papier préparé selon l'étape(a) dans une machine d'impression électrostatique où on effectue une impression au moins d'un graphisme désiré sur la face principale non-encollée du papier ;

(c) ensuite, la région dudit papier contenant le graphisme est précoupée en forme d'une étiquette à taille prédéfinie ;

(d) on fixe un module électronique contenant une puce électronique dans une cavité d'un corps de carte préfabriqué, et

(e) on sépare la feuille de protection de l'étiquette préparée selon l'étape(c) et on colle l'étiquette sur au moins une des faces principales dudit corps de carte complété selon l'étape (d).

To this end, the method according to the invention for manufacturing a smart card comprises the following steps:

(a) one face of a paper is covered with a self-adhesive layer resistant to high temperatures, said self-adhesive layer being protected by a protective sheet;

(b) the paper prepared according to step (a) is introduced into an electrostatic printing machine where at least one desired graphic is printed on the main non-glued side of the paper;

(c) then, the region of said paper containing the graphic is pre-cut in the form of a label of predefined size;

(d) an electronic module containing an electronic chip is fixed in a cavity of a prefabricated card body, and

(e) separating the protective sheet from the label prepared according to step (c) and gluing the label to at least one of the main faces of said card body completed according to step (d).

un corps de carte, avec deux faces principales dont une contenant un module électronique dans une cavité, laquelle est recouverte à sa périphérie par des plages de contact électrique du module électronique, au moins une des faces principales du corps de carte portant une étiquette, caractérisée en ce que l'étiquette est une étiquette :

• imprimée selon la technique d'impression électrostatique ;
• couverte d'une couche auto-adhésive résistant aux températures élevées utilisées pendant l'impression électrostatique ; et
• collée, au moyen de ladite couche auto-adhésive, audit corps de carte.

A smart card according to the invention therefore comprises:

a card body, with two main faces, one of which contains an electronic module in a cavity, which is covered at its periphery by electrical contact pads of the electronic module, at least one of the main faces of the card body carrying a label, characterized in that the label is a label:

• printed using the electrostatic printing technique;
• covered with a self-adhesive layer resistant to high temperatures used during electrostatic printing; and
• bonded, by means of said self-adhesive layer, to said card body.

An important advantage of the process according to the invention is that it allows to use a card body made with any material regardless of graphics or the desired decoration. The card body is preferably made of plastic.

These card bodies can be manufactured or machined in large number and produced in large series, for example by the most economical method possible and put in stock. Then, as needed, the desired number card body is taken over and the cards completed by the stickers.

The labels produced according to the invention on a electrostatic printing machine, preferably 4 colors and with digitized shapes are quickly manufactured in desired quantities, large or small.

The electrostatic digital printing process gives also the advantage of being able to modify very easily the graphics even from one label to another. The data that determine a graphic can be created on the site of the printing machine. electrostatic, or remotely and transmitted to the machine by telecommunication lines.

la figure 1

illustre schématiquement une étape du procédé selon l'invention consistant à mettre une couche adhésive sur un papier en rouleau ;

la figure 2

illustre les étapes d'impression et de découpage des étiquettes selon l'invention ;

la figure 3

montre une étiquette fabriquée selon les figures 1 et 2 et prête à être attachée à un corps de carte ;

la figure 4

montre schématiquement une carte à puce assemblée ;

la figure 5

montre en coupe une partie de la carte à puce selon l'invention en se référant à la ligne V-V de la figure 4 en échelle agrandie et

la figure 6

illustre schématiquement en coupe une autre partie de la carte à puce selon l'invention en se référant à la ligne VI-VI de la figure 4.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows and which refers to drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention:

figure 1

schematically illustrates a step of the method according to the invention consisting in putting an adhesive layer on a roll paper;

figure 2

illustrates the steps of printing and cutting labels according to the invention;

figure 3

shows a label made according to Figures 1 and 2 and ready to be attached to a card body;

figure 4

schematically shows an assembled smart card;

figure 5

shows in section part of the smart card according to the invention with reference to the line VV of FIG. 4 in enlarged scale and

figure 6

schematically illustrates in section another part of the chip card according to the invention with reference to line VI-VI of FIG. 4.

Figure 1 shows a roll of paper 10, preferably of a width used to receive two to six graphics. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the paper 10 has a width between 250 and 400 mm and a grammage between 65 and 130 g / mm ² .

The paper 12 has entered a machine 14 which glues one side 16 of the paper 12 with a special adhesive resistant to temperatures between 90 ° C and 150 ° C for up to 24 hours and / or resistant to temperatures between 100 ° C and 190 ° C up to 1 hour without deterioration.
The glue can be a permanent adhesion glue based on an aqueous emulsion which remains on the paper which can be removed under humidity.

A protective sheet 18, preferably of paper, wound on a reel 20 is placed on the adhesive layer 22. The latter is self-adhesive. The 12 'paper thus glued and protected is then rolled up in the form of a reel 24. The 12 'paper is ready to be printed.

Although in Figure 1, paper 12 or 18 is shown wound on coils 10 and 24, it is obvious for a skilled in the art also to use other forms of paper, for example: pre-cut paper in a format standard or in pre-folded form.

As shown in Figure 2, the paper 12 'of the roll 24 is then inserted into a printing machine 26 electrostatic, preferably 4 colors, where the graphics to print on labels to stick on card bodies are previously scanned and stored in the memory of the printing machine printed in the machine on the other main surface 28 (not glued) of the 12 'paper. Print temperatures in such electrostatic printer machine 26 are very high; this explains why the glue 22 must meet the thermal conditions stated above.

Figure 2 also schematically shows a set of cutting 30 which is used to cut the labels 32a and 32b (data as an example) of 12 "printed paper. principle, and if we use a paper 12 which allows printing of 4 graphics or labels across the width width, the printed 12 "paper passes first through a module for precutting the labels 32a and 32b.

In order to guarantee access to the electrical contacts 44 of the electronic module 40 of the chip card 38 (see FIG. 6), an opening 34 is cut in said labels 32b which are intended to be glued to the main face 46 of a body of card containing the electrical contact pads 44.
After the labels have been cut, the paper thus prepared passes through a slitting module which divides it into 4 equal strips.

It is of course obvious that the two main faces smart cards can be fitted with labels printed according to the invention. In the width of a width of the 12 "paper, you can alternate the labels on one side and the other.

The labels are ready to be glued to the bodies of desired smart card. This can be done immediately after printing or later. In that case, the labels are stored.

It is obvious that all the stages of the process can be made in case any number of labels is printed across the width of the 12 'paper.

FIG. 3 shows a label 32a, the paper of which protection 18 is being detached in order to release the adhesive layer.

After turning over, the label 32a in FIG. 3 is fixed (Figure 4) on a body 36 of the smart card 38 prefabricated whose electronic module is referenced by the number 40. The main face 42 is covered with a label 32a; the electrical contact pads 44 of the electronic module are located on the main face opposite 46 of the smart card 38.

Figure 4 also shows that the selected size preferably for labels 32 is slightly more small compared to that of the main faces 42, 46, of the body 36 of the card.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, each main face 42, 46 has extensions 48, 50 which border the periphery of each main face by forming a raised rectangle and by framing the labels 32a and 32b. These frames 48.50 are used to prevent separation of the labels 32a, 32b of the body 36 of the card caused by friction or other untimely mechanical effects.

To protect printed graphics on labels 32a, 32b they can be covered with a protective layer by transparent plastic material or a layer of lacquer or protective varnish. Such protection is particularly recommended always in the case of smart cards that have a long lifespan, cards rechargeable for example.

Figure 6 shows like Figure 4 a sectional view partial view of a smart card 38 produced according to the invention.

Figure 6 illustrates in more detail how a label 32b is attached to the main face 46 containing the electronic module 40 with the ranges of contact 44.

In order to allow access to said contact areas 44, label 32b (see also Figure 2) is provided with a window or opening 34 through which the contact pads 44 are accessible from the outside.

As is clear from the above description, the smart cards obtained according to the invention consist of a card body to which have been added an electronic module and a label which has been affixed.
These card bodies, less than 95 mm long, less than 60 mm wide and less than 0.75 mm thick, can be prefabricated by molding or cut from a plate in plastic. The cavity suitable for receiving an electronic module can be obtained during molding or milled in the card body.
This has the advantage of being able to use a colored plastic material for the manufacture of card bodies. Thus the color of the card body remains visible - by looking at the edges of the card - after attaching the labels, which facilitates the identification of the different types of cards in a stock.

It is therefore very easy to differentiate between the different kinds of cards by different colors of the edges of cards which in no way detracts from the aesthetic aspect of the label graphics.

Claims (12)

1. Method to manufacture a smartcard (38), including the following steps:

   (a) one side of a sheet of paper (10, 12) is covered with a self-adhesive layer (22) resistant to high temperatures, the said self-adhesive layer (22) being protected by a protective film (18);

   (b) the paper (12') prepared according to step (a) is inserted in an electrostatic printing machine (26) where at least one desired graphic is printed on the main non-glued side (28) of the paper;

   (c) then, the area of the said paper (12") containing the graphic is precut in the form of a label (32a, 32b) to a predefined size.

   (d) an electronic module (40) containing an electronic chip is fixed in a recess of a prefabricated card body (36), and

   (e) the protective film (18) is separated from the label (32a, 32b) prepared according to step (c) and the label is stuck on at least one of the main sides (42, 46) of the said card body (36) completed according to step (d).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the printing according to step (b) is carried out in a digital four-colour printing machine (26).
3. Method according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that the self-adhesive layer (22) applied according to step (a) of claim 1 consists of an adhesive resistant to temperatures between 90°C and 150°C up to 24 hours and/or resistant to temperatures between 100°C and 190°C up to 1 hour without deterioration.
4. Method according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the self-adhesive layer (22) applied according to step (a) of claim 1 consists of an aqueous emulsion-based permanent adhesion adhesive which cannot come unstuck from the paper under the effect of humidity.
5. Method according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that paper (10) on roll is used of width allowing the application of several labels (32a, 32b) in a defined arrangement.
6. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that paper (10) is used of width between 250 and 400 mm and weight between 65 and 130 g/m².
7. Method according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that after step (e) of claim 1, the label (32a, 32b) applied on the body (36) of the smartcard (38) is covered by a protective layer of lacquer or varnish (52).
8. Smartcard (38) including a card body (36), with two main sides (42, 46), one of them containing an electronic module (40) in a recess which is covered around the outside by electrical contact pads (44) of the electronic module (40), at least one of the main sides of the card body (36) bearing a label (32a, 32b), characterised in that the label (32a, 32b) is a label which is:

   printed according to the electrostatic printing technique;

   covered with a self-adhesive layer (22) resistant to the high temperatures used during the electrostatic printing; and

   glued, using the said self-adhesive layer (22), to the said card body (36).
9. Smartcard (38) according to claim 8, characterised in that the body (36) of the smartcard (38) is prefabricated and completed with the electronic module (40) before the label (32a, 32b) is applied.
10. Smartcard (38) according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the card body (36) is moulded.
11. Smartcard (38) according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the card body (36) is cut from an assembly of several prefabricated card bodies (36) or cut from a plastic sheet.
12. Smartcard (38) according to claim 8, 9, 10 or 11, characterised in that the card body (36) has the following dimensions: length less than 95 mm, width less than 60 mm and thickness less than 0.75 mm.

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